President Tinubu and The North: Tax reform bill as a system of larger issue, by Sani Abdulrazak
What a Time to Be a Nigerian! In last 18 months, Nigerians have witnessed an era of unprecedented economic turmoil. The nation’s economic indices paint a picture next to hopelessness, with inflation rising to unprecedented levels, plunging millions of Nigerians into poverty. Over 129 million Nigerians, according to a World Bank estimate, marked a significant increase from 40.1% in 2018 to 56% in 2024. There is no denying that the hardship and hunger endured by the masses is palpable, affecting all facets of daily life and making survival a daunting task for many.
Recently, the controversial tax reform bill has added fuel to the fire. this bill has successfully achieved a rare feat of dividing Nigerians into two; the for and against the bill.
Unfortunately, a sizable portion of the bill’s supporters have decided to frame the discussion along regional lines, claiming that the North is opposed to the current government, thereby escalating already-existing tensions between the North and South. We have learned from history that these set of people do not learn from history. However, the rejection of the bill in the North goes beyond mere regional dynamics. There’s more to the rejection of the bill from the North than meets the eye; It is a narrative of betrayal, broken promises, and deep-seated disenchantment with the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT).
It might be necessary to remind these individuals that Northern governors at the time championed the shift of presidential power to the South in 2023. more so, the same Northern Governors defended, supported and rallied behind President Tinubu against the then Northern Presidency and ensured his emergence as the flag bearer of the APC. This support continued during the elections, with about 60% of PBAT’s votes coming from the North alone, with the North West accounting for 30% of those votes. What sort of support are they referring to?
The removal of the fuel subsidy, the president’s first major actions, left Nigerians especially the North reeling. The idea that subsidy payments benefited only a fraction of a percentage of the nation’s citizens was pushed down our throats. Nigerians were promised that removal of subsidy is a necessary step to redirect funds into critical sectors like healthcare and education for the masses to feel the dividends of democracy, the subsidy removal instead drove many into extreme poverty. Small businesses shut their doors, unemployment soared, and hunger became an everyday reality. About 18 months later, the promised improvements in critical sectors remain unseen. Healthcare is in shambles, and the education system is at its lowest ebb in decades. Nigerians are left asking: where are the funds from the subsidy removal?
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What happened to the promises made by the “paper economists”?
The same president floated the Naira and increased electricity tariffs, both of which were framed as solutions to Nigeria’s economic woes, saying it will open the floodgates of investments that will drive the country’s economy. Yet, the reality has been anything but hopeful, and the same North supported him and his token of support to the region was a total blackout of most parts of the region for almost two weeks, followed by a near weekly national grid collapse, which has driven production in the region to historic lows.
In addition to energy woes, the administration consistently assured Nigerian workers a living wage. When the much-anticipated ‘living wage’ finally came, it proved woefully insufficient. Inflation had skyrocketed to the extent that the new wage could not even purchase a bag of rice. This failure underscores the administration’s inability to address the economic challenges it promised to solve. For many, it is yet another unfulfilled promise in a long list of disappointments.
The tax reform plan may be the problem, but it could have been with anything. It is only a sign of something more serious. People in the North are fed up with long-standing policies that never live up to expectations. In addition to the possible economic consequences, the tax reform plan has been viewed with suspicion because of the general lack of confidence in the administration. The most troubling of all is the government’s insensitivity to the extremely precarious position.
It is impossible to overestimate the agony that Nigerians endure today. Food inflation is out of control, making it difficult for families to afford basic essentials.
Millions of young Northerners are finding it difficult to afford education, in an educational system crying for help. They must pay for even the most basic medical services through their nostrils. Because of all of this, there is a sense of pessimism and despair about the tax reform bill from the region even if what the so-called defenders of the bill is anything to go by.
I have only read and listened to expert analysis and reviews from experts in the field. Maybe not enough to draw a conclusion, but like most Nigerians, we are losing hope and trust in the severely harsh policies of the present administration that we don’t care what comes next, we know for sure it will only be good on paper. The rejection of the tax reform bill by the North is not a random act of defiance. It is a demand for accountability. The region that once overwhelmingly supported PBAT is feeling the brunt of his anti-masses policies, it feels betrayed by the very administration it helped to elect. The promises of economic revival, improved infrastructure, and better living standards have proven to be hollow. Instead, the North has been rewarded with policies that exacerbate poverty, hunger, and unemployment.
Northerners are merely ceasing the tax reform bill conundrum to demand answers;
Where is the promised investment in critical sectors that will directly impact the region as promised?
Why has the government failed to deliver on its commitments?
And why does the administration appear so disconnected from the plight of ordinary Nigerians?
These are questions that demand urgent answers.
Moving forward, the government needs to reestablish trust with Nigerians by alleviating their sufferings, it will do well by starting with crashing food inflation, providing subsidies on electricity, reducing tariffs on essential commodities and investing in critical sectors of the economy like education and healthcare. Only then will we support the president’s tax reform bill and what it entails. The tax reform bill may be the issue of the moment, but it is a symptom of a larger crisis. The administration must address the root causes of Nigeria’s economic woes and take bold steps to alleviate the suffering of its people. Only then can it hope to regain the trust and support of a nation that has grown weary of broken promises.
Nigeria stands at a critical point in its history. The decisions made today will determine the nation’s future for years to come.
The government must choose between continuing on a path of broken promises or charting a new course that prioritizes the welfare of its people. For the sake of millions of suffering Nigerians, let us hope it chooses the latter.
Sani Abdulrazak writes from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and can be reached via email at sazzak175@gmail.com
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